White Winter Hymnal
by starry.eyed.kiddo
Summary: It had been too long since Cerise had traveled in snow, and perhaps it was time she did.
1. Chapter 1

The snow crunched underfoot and echoed between the trees. It had been so long since Cerise had walked in the woods like this, not since Russel had passed away on a walk much like this on Mount Garou. A distant part of her thought how ironic it was that 'until death do us part' had been in a literal sense that day. She wasn't sure if she could face her in-laws with news of the death of their son, but she mustered up the courage and then left. There was no point in staying. She was too far now to go home and she lacked the guts to face the mountain again. Who knew if the rock decided to claim her life next, if she had only missed Death's cold hand that time.

She had taken up the life of a travelling bard after that, hopping from place to place and exchanging music for things she needed such as food or money or a place to stay. It had been eye-opening to see the world outside of Dia, not saying Dia had been closed off from the world. Her port-town home had exposed her to many kinds of people passing by, but she actually got to stay with them here. Share meals and stories and laughter, where she had only been an observer behind her mother's dress before. Now, she had nothing between her and the world.

Which now, actually, was a little unsettling.

It was silly to say, and perhaps residual nerves from before, but she kept getting this strange sensation that she was being watched. Her heart began to drum as she darted her eyes around. The trees only rustled from the wind, branches waving ever so slightly. She shook her head.

"Come on, Cerise, no one's there." She mumbled to herself, pulling her cloak a little closer to herself. She acted as though this had no effect, but the seconds passed and she began to feel more and more tense. Cerise put a hand on top of the dagger in its sheath on her hip. "H-Hello?" Her voice fell against the blanket of white and the ice-blue sky, no response. It was somehow worse that nothing responded. She stopped and turned around slowly, eyes scanning the trees around her. "Is someone there?" Her voice shook. The world fell into silence, her breath became clouds in the cold air.

It was probably nothing, just an over-active imagination. She sighed, hoping to dispel the anxious energy that had built up and went to continue on her way when the sound of a branch creaking hit her ears. She turned to see a blur of red and blue barreling towards her and, in a blink, she was down in the snow, wind knocked out of her.

Her first instinct was to scream, but something seemed to be stopping her. Fear, perhaps? Oh, her mother would've scolded her at this point, told her this was what happened when pretty young women walked alone in the woods. But, oddly enough, it seemed neither of them were planning to do anything. She could see him clearly now, the masked man who was probably the one who knocked her down. He reminded her of a snapdragon, which she politely kept to herself because she didn't feel he'd appreciate it.

"Why are you here?" His tone was sharp and she felt that fear come back. "This is Hoshidan territory. Why are you here?" Hoshidan? Oh. Oh no.

"I-I had no idea, I was too into my head." She tried to back away and stand up. "I assure you this was an accident-"

"Likely story, Nohrian." He stepped forward a bit menacingly. She couldn't let herself freak out, that would only rouse his suspicions more. She just needed to focus on something else, something like-

"Aren't you cold?" She asked. The man furrowed his brows in confusion. "Your shirt. It's open in the middle. Aren't you cold?" Cerise had no idea why _that_ was the first thing to come to her mind, actually she really regretted opening her mouth to say that now, but she couldn't take it back.

"I'm not cold." She sighed and nodded her head. The two stared at each other, silent. "...And you seem too scatterbrained to be any sort of threat." She wasn't sure to be insulted or relieved. "If you really are lost, go back where you came. And don't come back here." He then disappeared in a cloud of smoke. She stood in the snow, staring where the strange man had been moments before before shaking herself out of her daze and heeding his words. She could stop by the village she had seen on the way here and ask for directions.


	2. Chapter 2

"Izumo's by the sea? Are you sure?" Cerise had made it back to the village and was now inside, partaking in soup a nice old woman had made for her. "There has to be another way to get there, right?"

"Dear child, I'm afraid going through the woods is safest. There's too much conflict by the bridges these days and you wouldn't want to get mixed up in that." She shook her head and poured more soup into her bowl. "Why are you so worried? I thought someone like you would love being surrounded by nature, I've heard the woods are inspiring for artsy folk." Cerise sat back, not sure how to explain to this woman what just happened before she had got here. The old woman seemed to see her distress. "You can tell me what happened, I'm all ears."

"Well, I had thought I'd try to find Izumo myself, but when I walked into the woods..."

"Go on."

"I dunno, there was this man in a mask and he pretty much told me to leave and not return. I'm grateful he left me alone and I don't want to, I don't know, ignore him and go back into the woods. I feel like I'd be taking his courtesy for granted." The woman nodded in understanding. "So maybe I should find another route..."

"You could. Or perhaps, you can explain why you're there in the first place. Some kodama are a bit wary of strangers, especially foreign ones."

"Kodama?"

"Forest spirits that live in the trees, sometimes they take human shape." That man didn't seem like a forest spirit, he seemed like a normal person. But, then again, it could explain how he managed to disappear as he did. She had originally chalked it up to him being a mage, but she had never seen a mage do that before. "They're harmless as far as I know, but perhaps all this tension is affecting them too. I'd suggest bringing some sort of gift to give this spirit as well, to appease them. Most likely, the spirit will let you pass once you do this." The old woman poured some soup into a left over cup. "I'm sure my soup will suffice!"

"Thank you very much." She tied the lid down and placed it among her things. "If it doesn't bother you, I think I might sleep for the night and set off tomorrow."

"It's no problem at all! It's been so long since I've had guests here." The woman hugged her. "Good night, and safe travels." Cerise smiled as the woman walked away into her room. Cerise settled by the fire place. Maybe he was some kind of spirit. If so, then perhaps it'd be better if she brought her own gift as well. Sure, this woman's soup was good, but it seemed impersonal if she gave something someone else created. She pulled the lute out of her bag and began to play with the strings, hoping for a spark of genius.

The dawn came and she set off again, the entrance to the woods looked more foreboding than before. They knew what they contained, and Cerise took a deep breath. There was no point in going in without any sort of sign, he would probably find her anyways and wouldn't be thrilled. She stopped for a second when she realized she hadn't asked for his name. Damn, how would she do this now? She could turn back, try and find a different route. But maybe the different route would have someone who'd actually kill her the first time, was she willing to risk that? Steeling herself, she continued on deeper into the woods.

"Hello?" She called out. "I-I'm sorry about this, but I actually have to go through here." Silence whipped through the trees. "Um... Can you come out here please?"

"I thought I told you to not come back." His voice came, but there seemed to be no person there. She looked around hastily in surprise before taking a deep breath.

"You did. But it turns out that I actually have to go through here to get to where I need to go. I was invited to Izumo to preform and I'm pretty sure I'm behind schedule already so..." No denial or approval came from the trees. "I brought gifts...?"

"You brought gifts." She jumped and turned to see him standing behind her. How he did that was a mystery, but she supposed it was the least of her worries. "Seems more like you're bribing me."

"No! I mean... Well, I hadn't thought of it like that. Personally, I felt less of a bribe and more of an offering for my safety. All I brought for you was a cup of soup from the village I stayed at and a song I wrote." Cerise shrugged, grinning bashfully. He looked at her, almost as if he was staring into her soul before sighing.

"You said Izumo?" She nodded slowly. "Well, I was heading in that direction anyways and I'll be able to keep watch of you. Guess I'll go with you to the border." Cerise smiled and nearly thanked him before he interrupted, "But, the minute you try anything, you're dead." His threat held weight.

"Understandable, and I accept your terms." She let out a breath she had been holding. "Thank you." He looked at her and blinked before quickly turning and walking away. She quickly jogged to catch up and soon found herself keeping pace with him. "May I know your name?" He looked over at her, unreadable.

"My name is Saizo." She nodded and internally repeated it so she'd remember.

"Cerise. Nice to meet you."


End file.
